How Can Final Year MBA Students Excel in HR Group Discussions During Campus Placements?

As a final year MBA student in HR, I have to go through Group Discussions conducted by companies coming to my campus. What strategy should I adopt during GDs when companies come to fill in HR posts? Please do help me.

Here's what I think would be important:

1) Remember that everyone will either try to lead or talk all the time. Find an opportune time to get into the discussion, tactfully managing your way into and out of the conversation. Your interpersonal skills will come into play here.

2) Making your point on the topic is crucial; your views are important, and the group needs to know them. This will show that you are knowledgeable and actively participate in group discussions.

3) If possible, try to be the moderator of the discussion and help manage the group throughout—it will demonstrate your leadership skills.

4) Refrain from using harsh words or being rude during the discussion; instead, be polite and appreciate everyone's time.

5) Be active and interested throughout the discussion.

6) It's better not to participate if you have no clue about the topic.

7) Be yourself and give it your best shot.

Best Wishes

Hi Shanu,

I would like to add some points to Rajnish's views.

1. If possible, be the first one to initiate - after the topic is given by the panel, tell the members what the topic is really about, what should be covered, and inform your colleagues of the time limit. End it with a question or starting points for all members.

2. Be an active listener; your body language should show that. If you can add a point in between, good.

3. Make sure to be a moderator to ensure that others get a chance to speak.

4. If possible, be the last one to wind up the discussion and summarize the points covered. While doing so, please face your colleagues, not the panel members.

Lastly, do a lot of reading on current topics and practice. If you don't know the topic, just relax and take a deep breath... I'm sure everything will work out.

Best of luck.

Cheerio,

Rajat

I am attaching some points in detail for your reference:

Group discussion can be categorically divided into three different phases:

i. Initiation/Introduction

ii. Body of the group discussion

iii. Summarization/Conclusion

Let's stress on the initiation and summarization:

Initiation Techniques

Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy.

When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to speak but also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates.

If you can make a favorable first impression with your content and communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help you sail through the discussion.

But if you initiate a GD and stammer/stutter/quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.

If you initiate a GD impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives the impression that you started the GD for the sake of starting it or getting those initial points earmarked for an initiator!

When you start a GD, you are responsible for putting it into the right perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you have in-depth knowledge about the topic at hand.

There are different techniques to initiate a GD and make a good first impression:

i. Quotes

ii. Definition

iii. Question

iv. Shock statement

v. Facts, figures, and statistics

vi. Short story

vii. General statement

~ Quotes

Quotes are an effective way of initiating a GD.

If the topic of a GD is: Should the Censor Board be abolished? You could start with a quote like, 'Hidden apples are always sweet.'

For a GD topic like Customer is King, you could quote Sam (Wal-mart) Walton's famous saying, 'There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company -- from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.'

(Continued in the next message)